Texas Surface Water Quality Standards Update
Debbie MillerWater Quality Standards Group
Monitoring and Assessment Section
2010 EPA Action
• EPA Action Letters• June 29, 2011• August 24, 2012• July 2, 2013
• Action letters posted on TCEQ Website• Highlighted 2010 rule indicates status of
approval
Types of Actions• Approved - available for use in all Clean Water Act
(CWA) activities – permitting, assessment, TMDL…• Conditional approval - subject to completion of
consultation with USFWS under Endangered Species Act
• Disapproved - not available for use in CWA activities
• No action - not considered water quality standards under the CWA
• Under review
Approvals• Human Health Criteria (all proposed except mercury)• Aquatic Life Criteria• Bacteria
• Recreation use criteria categories• Removal of single sample• Procedures to assign presumed PCR and SCR1 uses
(unclassified waters)• Appendix G (Site-specific contact recreation criteria)
• Appendix B (Sole source surface drinking water supplies)
• Appendix C (Segment descriptions)• Appendix E (Site-specific toxic criteria)
Approvals• §307.1 (General policy statement)• §307.2 (Description of standards)• §307.3 (Definitions and abbreviations)*• §307.4 (General criteria)• §307.5 (Antidegradation)• §307.6 (Toxic materials) *,+
• §307.7 (Site-specific uses and criteria)*• §307.8 (Application of standards)*• §307.9 (Determination of standards attainment)*,+
*No action on some of provisions+EPA disapproval on some provisions
Conditional ApprovalApproval subject to consultation with USFWS
• Approvals of some site-specific criteria in Appendices A, D, E, F
• Approval of some segment boundaries in Appendix C
• Toxic Aquatic Life Criteria – Table 1• Critical low-flows of streams and rivers
dominated by spring flow• Attainment of dissolved minerals at stream flows
< 0.1 CFS
Disapprovals• Mercury human health criterion (Table 2, §307.6)• Deferred aquatic life listings (§307.9)• High flow exemption for bacteria (§307.9)• Appendix A: North Sulphur River, Oso Bay,
Laguna Madre• Appendix D: Lavaca River• Appendix F: Partial disapproval
No Action – EPA ConsiderationsWhat is/is not a water quality standard under CWA 303(c)(3)?
• Is it legally binding according to state law?• Does it address designated uses, criteria
(narrative and numeric) or anti-degradation? • Does it establish a desired level of condition or protection?• Is it a new or revised standard?
No Action – 2010 WQS• §307.3 – definition of “surface water in the state”• Portions of §307.6(e) – biomonitoring and TREs• Portions of §307.7 – use of USDA action levels to
determine acceptable toxic concentrations in shellfish
• Portions of §307.8 – MALs, once-through cooling waters and storm water dischargers
• Portions of §307.9 - assessment procedures
Still Under ReviewEPA has acted upon vast majority of revisions from 2010! • Appendix A
• Temperature criteria for 3 segments • Two in the Guadalupe Basin• One in Cypress Creek Basin
• Dissolved minerals criteria for 19 segments
Contact Information
Debbie [email protected]
(512) 239-1703
Email general questions to: [email protected]
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